Healthcare initiatives target anticoagulant medication safety and cost-effectiveness

New research and clinical projects are addressing the management of anticoagulants to improve patient safety and economic efficiency in healthcare systems.

In England, the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science has launched the OpenPrescribing Hospitals platform. This tool utilizes the Secondary Care Medicines Dataset from the National Health Service (NHS) to monitor the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). The platform aims to support anticoagulation stewardship by measuring whether clinicians are prescribing the most cost-effective medications, such as apixaban and rivaroxaban, in accordance with NHS England commissioning recommendations.

Separately, a translational project at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston investigated systemic risks in medication hold processes within a 10-hospital health system. The study found that communication-based hold orders had a 15.05% error rate, significantly higher than the 0.13% error rate associated with structured hold orders. Following interventions to correct technical defects and standardize workflows, the system saw a 160% increase in the use of structured hold orders, reducing reliance on high-risk communication methods.